Cloning Your Pet — Another Thought on Letting Go

This past weekend I caught a glimpse of another disturbing “reality” show. This one focused on people who were so attached to their pets that when the animals passed, the only way they could fill the void was by cloning their beloved pet. For a pet owner and lover like me, I can understand the connection one has with their furry friend, but I have not lost touch with the reality that pets do pass and cannot ever be truly replaced.

To me, cloning is not the answer, and I’m pretty sure that the people who actually pay to have their pets cloned are easy targets for corrupted practices. I mean, seriously, how the hell can you know for sure that this pet is the exact same animal as the one that passed? It takes a serious believer (one may say a crazy or desperate person) to think that it is possible.

But really what the practice gets at is the mourning stage of a person who just cannot reach acceptance, cannot take the memory of their pet and maybe put that love toward another needy animal. People who cannot move on. People who cannot let go.

Last month I wrote a post about baggage that touched about this idea of letting go. That post focused on the things we carry with us through life and the things that hold us back. The death of a loved one is certainly a huge piece of baggage, one that every single person will experience in their life. No one can ever replace that person or animal that loved us and that we loved unconditionally.

But you have got to keep living and honoring their memory. I know a lot of dog owners who can’t read books about dogs because they always end the same way — a life well lived that ends with loved ones seemingly forever in mourning.

The thought that my beloved dog won’t be with me forever is never far from my mind. He is my first dog, my very best friend. And when he goes, I will have so many memories and so much heartache, it may be unbearable. But I will not replace him. Yes, I will get another dog, but I will do so in honor of him and to give back to the species that has given me so much.

No one will ever replace him. A clone just wouldn’t do. But there are so many other animals who need homes and I know I will fall in love all over again.

He’s with me today, and that’s all that counts, and I will enjoy every day that he is here on this side of the grass, and will carry his memory with me forever. And when his time comes, I will let him rest peacefully and not attempt to resurrect his soul.

This post is dedicated to Maggie Devon — a dog who created very many smiles and touched many lives. We miss you Maggie!